A little sewing project ...

 I bought this protea fabric ages ago with the intention of it going with the woollen winter curtains in the dining room because it is the same oatmeal colour that is in the tartan curtains. 

However, it was lost & forgotten about until I changed the airy summer curtains to the heavy winter ones this past week & found the 2 meters of fabric in the curtain container.

It was still the long length that I had bought it in so it was hemmed all around to be used on the dining room table. 

Our Living-room has a vase of beaded proteas I bought in South Africa & another vase of silk ones that I am rather fond of so continuing the protea look across both rooms is good. 

I had bought some panels a while back & two of them had proteas right on the side. I decided it was time to make them in to two useful items for the sideboard & console table in the dining room but they could be used elsewhere in the house too. 

I didn't want the large size so I cut the two panels down to a size I wanted, cut heavy cream backing fabric too. The two parts were ironed very well,  then I took it to the machine to be hemmed. 

I pinned the corners &  left a gap in the bottom edge for turning through. After stitching all around, I trimmed the corners then turned it through. 

It was again pressed very well & the bottom gap was pinned. I top stitched all around, close to the edge so I caught in the gap, closing it with the top stitching. 

More pressing then they were taken to the dining room where the cream, pink & greens look rather nice. The oatmeal protea table cloth picks up the same colour in the pattern of the heather colour in the tartan curtains. 

I don't know why I have put off hemming them all because they fit in well. 

Who else buys lengths of fabrics as table cloths? Our conservatory table extends & bought cloths are often the wrong size so I hem fabrics I like for there. 

Thank you for stopping by & visiting, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🧵🪡📍

Signs of Autumn at home & in the woods ...

 Somehow, the year is galloping by & the misty mornings remind us that Autumn is here. 

The nights are drawing in & the morning light takes its time to arrive now. 

Early morning mists drew us out to some local woods to enjoy the changing seasons & have a walk in the woods. 

I love misty mornings when things seem mysterious, when the woods are more silent & half hidden, when you hear voices long before figures appear in the misty light. 

The dampness highlighted the many cobwebs on the trees - somehow they really like the prickly holly bushes. 

The woodland floor is spongy with decades of fallen leaves & more drifted down all the time, along with the sound of little branches falling. 

I picked up some spindly branches with little pinecones & carefully places their curving branches in my bag where they flapped around with each step. 

I picked up some conkers & one of the pricky outer shells/ They are freshly fallen & very prickly still so had to be content with just 1. 

The cool, moist woods are the perfect growing conditions for a multitude of fungi, nestled in the fallen leaves & twigs. 

I do not know one from another & do not actually like mushrooms so am content to just photograph them. 

I added 2 little branches with red berries & my woodland collection looks rather good. I prefer it to a fake, commercial one & it reminds me of time in nature.

Once home, I carefully put the foraged twigs, leaves & berries in this vintage vase (bought from a charity shop some years back).

The spindly pine bracts I picked up survived their journey around the forest in a shopping bag I grabbed from the car as we stopped. 

The H.J. Woods Indian Tree vase is generous & sturdy enough to hold an assortment of twigs & leaves. It also has similar colours to the Spode plates that I had in mind. 

The conservatory sideboard is long overdue a change. The woodland vase nudged me to fetch the few Spode Woodland plates I have - 6 - from their retail shop in Stoke on Trent a few years ago. 

The 2 yellow deer plates were from Next a few years ago. They sometimes appear at Christmas with their pretty flower adorned antlers but fit in well with the Spode plates so they are out too. They are a good match to the vase too - I must bring them out more often. 

The beautiful ruby glass decanter was a gift from Ms M a few years ago, along with the vintage custard cups with their little handles. They are the perfect size for sherry on dark days ... 

A little jig around & I think it is looking perfect for Autumn. What do you think? 

Do you also come back from a walk with a pocket (or bag) of things you foraged or picked up? 

The Autumn sideboard has things I have had for a long time but they are greatly enjoyed & make a welcome appearance from time to time. 

Thank you for stopping by & visiting. It is always appreciated. 

Dee 🪾🪵🌳🍁🍂